Shadow Hood
by GlOmP3R
Summary: the bat family has been broken for a long time, and they believe it will stay that way. but when they get a message from Jason, that changes everything. can they save Jason? or will they fail him again? includes: Batman, Dick, Damian, Tim, and maybe Young justice and more! Read & Review ! name changed - former: Saving Jason From Himself
1. The Package

**_ok, so this is a story that just poped up in my head, and i really wanted to make it, sooo here tiz!_**

**_| Beta read by: Birchtail. thanks so much girl :)_**

**____****| Disclaimer: i don't own batman, or red hood, or anything, I am sure no-one on FanFiction does **

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**____****Shadow Hood **

**____****Chapter 1**

**____****The Package **

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It's a cold night.

The sound of rain can be heard from outside, through the walls and roof. It's a comforting sound, but still gloomy nevertheless.

A draft from outside chills the air as Bruce Wayne enters his home.

He shivers as he steps inside, closing the door behind him; then looks up to see Alfred waiting for him by the doorframe, holding a towel.

"Good evening, master Bruce." Alfred greets him politely as he hands him the towel.

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce takes the towel, rubbing it over his face, relishing in its fresh warmth, contrasted sharply with Gotham's polluted cold outside.

"Dinner will be served as soon as you're changed, sir."

Bruce nods in acknowledgment. "Is everyone here?"

"Yes. They've been waiting for your arrival." Alfred says.

Bruce nods once again. "I'll be there in a minute," he says, completing the task of drying his face and upper body. The warmth is only now beginning to pervade the cold he absorbed while out in the rain, and it feels good; almost makes him drowsy.

"Very good, sir." Alfred briefly inclines his head before walking off.

Bruce makes his way upstairs, to his room. He changes quickly out of the wet suit, and as soon as he is finished he goes back downstairs, walking down the hall until he comes to the dining room door.

His family's already there, waiting for him.

The Bat sits down in the chair at the head of the table, trying not to make any noise that would disrupt the 'peaceful' scene before him. It's dark enough at this end of the table for him to blend in, and he watches his sons unnoticed.

Dick, his oldest son, was seated to his right, talking to his younger brother.

Tim, his third eldest son, was laughing at something Dick had said.

Damian, his youngest son, sitting to the left of him, rolled his eyes at his older brothers and resumed hungrily staring at his food.

Bruce's mind wandered off to his second oldest son, who was absent.

Jason.

He frowned. Jason led a hard life, and Bruce knew it was_his fault_.

He had allowed Jason to be kidnapped by the Joker, beaten to within an inch of his life, then caught in an explosion. He'd failed to protect him. Jason had then been brought back to life in Ra's Al Ghul's vain attempt to salvage his conscience from the scars placed upon it by the boy's death.

And afterward, he'd become the Red Hood, the Batman who wouldn't shy away from killing just as long as it was for the good of the innocent in the end.

Bruce agreed that the crime lords deserved to die, but that just _wasn't_the way it worked.

He shook his head, trying to relieve himself of the horrible memories.

If only he had arrived earlier. Perhaps he could have saved Jason.

_My son, my soldier, my partner, my fault._

"So, Dicky Bird, what's it like being with the new team? What are you called again... the miniature Justice League?" asked Tim, a playful tone entering his voice.

Dick growled in his throat. "That's not what they're called!" he grated out.

His little brother smirked. "Oh yeah? What you gonna do about it?"

Dick grinned back. "You wanna fight?"

"Shut up, you imbeciles." Damian muttered the words, rolling his eyes again at the stupidity of his 'older' brothers, then returning to his plate. It was becoming obvious he was hungry, and Bruce wondered if he should call order and let them know he was here.

"There will be no fighting at the dinner table," Alfred shouted.

Bruce stood up from the head of the table, and it instantly quieted as his sons realized he was there. Damian glanced up from his food, his face hopeful. Maybe now he could eat.

Suddenly, they all heard the ring of the doorbell. Alfred quickly went to answer the door.

When he came back, his face was concerned, frowning.

"Who was it?" Bruce asked.

"I found this at the door," Alfred replied.

He was holding a small box, and atop it was a smaller voice recorder. Alfred handed them to Bruce.

Everyone looked on quietly as Bruce inspected both items; he deemed the recorder safe, then checked the box for bombs or anything else that could harm his family. It wasn't as if the Bat _hadn't_gotten explosives in the mail before.

When he finally decided the box was also safe, he opened it.

Inside, he was surprised to find five expensive-looking, differently colored knives.

Everyone huddled around the box to look inside, each with their own surprised faces.

"See what's on the recorder!" Dick said.

Bruce nodded in agreement and picked up the recorder. He clicked the _play_button.

At first there was only white noise, then a voice they all knew well spoke.

_Heh, well, you're probably wondering why you got a box and voice recorder in the mail. Funny things happen, don't they, though?_

**_Jason?_**

Bruce was more mystified now than before, even when he knew who sent the package.

_Well, let me explain, it's a….how do I say…..gift?_

_Yeah, that's the word. They're gifts._

_I don't have much time, so let me explain this real fast._

_Dick, I just wanted to say that you were a pretty good older brother, even though we fought a lot. I always admired you, even when you made me so jealous I got mad._

_Don't get all sappy on me, though. Just needed to make sure you knew._

_Replace- uh, Tim: yeah, I know you hate me, and for a while the feeling was mutual. But you know me, melodramatic. I guess I was just….hurt that Bruce replaced me so soon._

_I never hated you as much as I hated – hate – myself._

_But that's in the past now. It doesn't matter._

_Damian._

_Well, you're one evil little shit, I'll admit, but we are more alike than you will ever know. I'd tell you to avoid my mistakes-only I'm not really sure what they are._

_Oh, and it was Dick who stole your Ipod, not me._

A laugh.

_Just so you know._

"Dick!" Damian shouted, but returned to listening within seconds. The cryptic nature of the message set too serious a tone to start a fistfight in the dining room.

_Alfred, you were always there for me. I thank you for that._

_Yeah, I know I was a bratty kid, but hey- nobody's perfect._

…_..Bruce, I caused you a lot of trouble._

_I'm really sorry._

_I know I'm your greatest failure, but…you were a great father._

_I was never mad at you for letting me die._

A bitter, brittle laugh here, not like the mischevious one of before.

_You're all probably thinking I've finally lost it completely, right? That's not why I recorded this._

_This is just the last time we'll ever speak._

_Even though this isn't a conversation, I could never say it to your faces. I just need you all to know….that I'm sorry for everything I have ever done._

_I'm__never__repeating that, and if you ever tell anybody I said that, I'll kill you._

Another laugh, low and bitter like the first, but without the acid.

_Come to think of it, I guess that would be impossible, because I'm never seeing any of you again._

_I'm going on my last mission, and I'm not going to make it out of this one._

_But at least your greatest burden will be erased, right, Bruce?_

They all heard coughing, then there was the sound of something opening, like a bottle's cap. They heard a gulp, then after a brief pause, Jason started speaking again.

_Heh, Sorry about that._

_Anyway, each of those knives are for you._

_As you can see, each has a different color, the black is for Bruce, the white's for Alfred (although I don't really see him ever using it), the dark blue is for Dick, orange is for Tim, and dark green is for Damian._

_I have one too. It's red._

_I know you won't ever kill, but always keep them on you…for self defense._

They heard a low, staticky sound of an explosion, as if it were near him yet not too close.

_Well, that's my cue to go._

_Your greatest failure, your biggest burden, your worst annoyance, is finally leaving you alone._

_Goodbye._

With that, the recording finished.

All eyes were wide, some mouths agape.

What the hell was going on? What was Jason talking about?

Suddenly, Bruce's phone went off.

He quickly answered, putting the phone on speaker.

A shaky voice spoke.

"H-hello? Is this Bruce Wayne?" asked a female voice.

"Yes," Bruce answered, voice slightly distant, still shocked from the recording.

A sob was heard over the phone.

"I-it's about Jason."

Fear gripped the hearts of all.

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**_soo? what cha think? good, bad?_**

**_tell me in the review box below._**

**_if i get good feed back, ill up-date. if i don't ill abandon the story. no point in continuing something no-body wants to read right?_**

**_so just review, its not that hard the box is right there! VVVVVVVVV_**


	2. Crushed

_**oki! so sorry for the late up-date! thanks sooo much for the reivews(:**_

_**IMPORTANT! READ:**_

_**uhm, let me just point this out now, i pretty much changes the story line to fit my liking, SOOO heres how it is: Jason did die when the joker killed him, but he didnot die a second time. Dick is NightWing, he is with Young Justice. Tim is robin, he is not with Young Justice, idc how the plot is in the show. and Damian is in training. he is not robin yet.**_

_**beta read by: Birchtail. haha, once again girl, you are awesome, thanks so much :D**_

**_sooo, other then that, i hope you enjoy~!_**

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_**Shadow Hood**_

_**Chapter 2 **_

_**Crushed **_

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"What's happened to Jason?" Batman replied. His voice was steady, but his brow was furrowed with worry.

"C-come to the hospital, second floor, room 23B. I will explain everything when you are here." A click on the other end of the line sounded as the woman hung up.

Bruce glanced around at the rest of his family, but before he could open his mouth to say something, his eldest son cut him off.

"We're all coming, no matter _what_ you say." Bruce looked down for a moment, then nodded. It wouldn't be any use to argue.

He stood, then led the way out the door, down the long hall, and out to the car.

His spirits dropped as Gotham's smoke-darkened rain wet his head for the second time that evening. As if they weren't low enough.

"I will call you once we know what's wrong with Jason, Alfred." Bruce waved goodbye and swung into the waiting car in the drive.

"As you wish, sir." Alfred frowned as he turned back to the door and stepped inside.

He watched the car until the rain so muddled his vision through the window that he couldn't see the headlights anymore, then turned with a sigh to the phone on the table next to the door to wait.

**_~10 min. later, at the Gotham City Hospital~_**

The Bat's family entered the arched, comfortably-furnished lobby, and Damian, still hungry from the interrupted dinner, took one longing glance toward the closed cafeteria.

Tim gave him a dirty look, and he snapped out of it. **  
**

They got in the elevator, and Dick pushed the button to take them to the second floor. It was an uncomfortable thirty seconds in the elevator, with Bruce silent as a gargoyle and Damian's stomach occasionally growling in a feeble attempt at comic relief.

Dick was the first one out as the bell dinged at the second floor. Bruce was quick to follow, and they almost jogged down the hallway to room 23B.

Everyone but Damian and his father gasped at the sight on the hospital bed. It was as if a body from a train crash had been brought there from the morgue. Stitches were over the worst of his wounds, but the smaller ones had been merely bandaged, and blood was soaking through the cotton and staining the gray hospital gown and white sheets.

"Jason," Bruce murmured, he would have closed his eyes in grief, but for the fact that he couldn't stop staring at the broken boy in the hospital bed.

A tall lady, dressed in a white lab coat and glasses, stepped rapidly into the room. Her dark brown hair was up in a bun at the back of her head, and her black eyes were bloodshot, the lids around them puffy and red. She took a moment to wipe them before speaking.

"Good. You're all here." She sounded almost relieved, but worry was still heavy in her voice.

Bruce stepped forward with a question. "Were you the one who called me?"

She sniffed, nodding."Who are you, and what happened to Jason?" he asked.

"I'm Elizabeth Bosworth, and I have been Jason's doctor for two years. I suppose you wouldn't know... probably Alfred takes care of routine things like that.**  
**Three hours ago, Jason was rushed to the hospital, after someone called saying there was an explosion. He had been beaten and left to die. After we got him here, I called you."

"Why isn't he in Intensive Care?" Dick asked, anger lying below a thin layer of calm in his voice. **  
**

Elizabeth frowned, then glanced back at Jason, then down at the ground. A tear slid down her cheek as she looked up.

"They don't have any more room," she said, her voice low and broken. "Tonight was a bad night for injuries. Low visibility in the rain."

"What about other hospitals?"

"We've already tried transferals. They're all filled up. Unless you want to send him to someplace where the doctors don't wash their hands between patients." Her voice was bitter as she spoke.

"What are his injuries?" inquired Bruce, stepping forward to assess them himself.

The doctor hesitated a moment before replying. **  
**"Three broken ribs, four broken fingers, a collapsed right lung; various cuts and bruises. His left leg is also broken."

"All in addition to his previous condition-" she quickly cut herself off, putting a hand over her eyes for a moment while she attempted to compose herself.

Bruce's eyes narrowed

."He shouldn't be able to move for a month. He was very lucky though; if he hadn't arrived when he did, he wouldn't have made it." Ms. Bosworth looked down again for a moment, then her dark, honest eyes looked back at Bruce.

"Who the hell did this to him?" Damian asked, his voice laced with anger. His stomach was forgotten now; he was almost glad now he hadn't eaten anything. The body in the bed was enough to ruin his appetite for days.

A new spark flared in Elizabeth's eyes. "I don't know, but when I find out-" she shook her head, unable to finish her sentence.

"His body is exhausted, and he should wake in a day or two," she said. "I'll leave you, then. I've other patients to attend to." With that, she left the room

._Jason…..what have you done?_ Bruce stared at Jason's still face as he sat down next to his bed, questioning, wondering... _so much he didn't know._

Dick, Tim and Damian stood around the room, as there weren't any more seats. The Bat deserved to sit next to his son right now.

_**'I'm going on my last mission, and I'm not going to make it out of this one.'**_

Bruce remembered the words clearly. Had Jason known this was going to happen? Did he know he would be saved? Most likely not; he wouldn't have sent the recording if he did.

They silently watched Jason, waiting for him to wake up.

Damian half cringed as he looked on. He wasn't quite hardened to the sight of dead bodies yet-and this was nearly as bad. Jason's body was broken, lacerated, his skin almost as white as snow. The only reassurance that he was alive was the light rise and drop of his chest under the sheets.

Tim was more used to sights like this than Damian was, but it still disturbed him. And knowing that that was his _brother _in the hospital bed there-not just some unfortunate bystander-made it all the worse.

_Come on, Jason, you came make it out of this. _It was the cry of all their hearts.

But Jason's awakening wasn't far in the future-and no one would have bargained that then all hell would break loose.

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**_soooo...? was it good? :D_**

**_please tell me, in le review box below!_**

**_review an ill up date faster :)_**

**_oh, and if you keep getting up-dates for this chapter, sry. i had to re-uplode it many times cuz it kept messing up._**

**_oh yes, one more thing! please go to my profile and answer the poll:_**

**_'what would happen if the Naruto world and Batman world combined?'_**

**_until_****_ next time!_**

**_NANANANANA, BATMAN!~!_**


	3. The Red Bird Flies

**_well, sorry for the long wait. thanks so much to the wonderful people who Reviewed. they make me so happy._**

**_this was beta read by the awesome Birchtail. i say this every time, but thanks soooo much for beat reading this for me._**

**_other then that, i hope you enjoy the latest chapter of Shadow Hood~!_**

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**Shadow Hood **

**Chapter 3 **

**The Red Bird Flies **

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**~Gotham City Hospital~**

Three days..  
Three days until Jason finally showed sings of waking up.  
Three long, horrid days of torturous waiting.

Bruce, Dick, Damian, and Tim stood in the waiting room again, in the late afternoon of the third day. Damian and Tim had been sent home to sleep, but Dick had gone home only once, to check on them, and Bruce not at all. He had barely moved from the bedside the whole time, leaving only for necessities.

Elizabeth stepped in for a routine check.

"I'm going to check how he's..."

She glanced up at the heart rate monitor, the breathing monitor, then back down at the boy, and a smile suddenly lit up her face. "He's waking up! But you will have to leave for a minute so he won't be upset. I'm sorry." She shooed the family out of the room, and they uncomfortably hovered around the leaned door while Elizabeth watched Jason wake up. Bruce was unreasonably excited, _so _excited that he could barely stand to be outside the room. But for this once, he wouldn't complain about being shoved over to the 'kids' table'. It was supposed to be for Jason's good.

Suddenly, Bruce's ears pricked, and the boys crowded closer to the door as they heard the sounds of panicked moaning, rapidly escalating and growing in volume, from behind the door.

In a split second, it was a scream, and Dick was the first into the room. Damian followed not far behind, and Bruce barely managed to squeeze in before Tim.

What they found horrified them. Jason had started trying to get the tubes that connected him to monitors and IV drips out of his arms, and Elizabeth was having a hard time holding him down so his wounds wouldn't reopen. Bruce could see her glancing over at the table next to her, which held a full syringe of morphine in the case that something like this would happen. This was fairly common occurrence in Gotham hospitals, and Jason was a prime example of the rule.

"Let me go! Why am I here? Let me the hell go!" he shouted at the top of his lungs-which was louder than they would have guessed, seeing that he still had one collapsed.

"Jason, calm down!" Dick shouted, moving closer to the bed to hold him down. Elizabeth was losing hold, and she needed to reach the syringe.

"NO! NO! LET ME GO! I HAVE TO GET TO HER! THEY WILL KILL HER! LET ME GO!" Jason shouted, struggling against his restraints.

"Jason, calm down! We are trying to help you!" Damian yelled back, worry clearly written on his face in the place of the habitual arrogant disgust.

Jason struggled even harder, seeming as if he had not even heard Damian. Perhaps he hadn't.

Damian stepped up to the table with the syringe on it and picked it up, giving it to the doctor. A little of the disgust was back now-what kind of doctor couldn't do something as simple as _sedate _a rowdy patient?

Elizabeth plunged the syringe into Jason's shoulder and pressed down the plunger. Within seconds, his body went still, and his voice trailed off as his eyes closed.

"What happened?" Bruce growled. Dr. Bosworth stepped away from the bed, dropping the syringe back on the table and giving Damian a nod.  
"I-I don't know. I don't think he would have sustained any brain damage from his stay in the hospital; maybe it has something to do with what got him here in the first place."

Bruce's frown only deepened. He stepped up to the bed and put a hand on Jason's still, white forehead, shaking his head.

_You let it happen again._

Elizabeth began checking up on him, making sure none of him wounds had reopened. She sighed in relief when she found none.

But the hope that they had earlier, that Jason might wake sane? Gone.

Once again, they stood by Jason's bed, worried thoughts running through all their heads. Bruce couldn't sit anymore; he felt like he had sat forever in that chair, wishing, _wishing _that Jason would wake up.

What would happen when he woke up this time?

Suddenly, Jason started to move around in his bed, his head moving from side to side as if he were having a nightmare.

_Jason lay in an empty warehouse. He could see himself in this dream, and he could also see his surroundings-the boxes, stacked up high, some of the slats broken. The concrete, hard and slick and rough at the same time. And the door, a little door at the opposite side of the warehouse from where he was._

_Someone came in through it. It wore purple, and had a face of a disturbing white color. It was the Joker._

_He instinctively cringed away, but couldn't help himself. He was already injured, and it was only now that he realized he'd been wishing and hoping for the Joker not to come back._

_The laughing villain made a beeline for Jason. Then he raised the crowbar he seemed to always hold, and used it to strike Jason, again and again, in a numbing rhythm of cruelty. He could feel his lip split, then his skin bruised and broke under the cold metal as well. A few seconds later, he knew his other lung had collapsed, and now he felt as if he would die._

"_At least the other boy wonder had some manners," grumbled the Joker. But this time, it wasn't even provoked._

_He knew what was supposed to happen now; he was supposed to be numb and the blows would stop hurting. Then maybe he'd be passed out when the bombs exploded._

_He felt it taking him over... the numbness... the pain was gone... the Joker evaporated in a thin vapor of smoke._

It was only when his hart monitor picked up speed that they _really _knew what it meant to worry.

_Beep beep beep beepbeepbeepbeep_

It was going so very fast so suddenly; Elizabeth didn't even have time to try to fix something.

Suddenly, the wild pattern on the screen turned to a flat, long line, and the machine emitted one long, long _beeeeeeeeep._

Jason's heart had stopped.

Doctor Elizabeth pushed a button on the side of Jason's bed repeatedly, and within seconds, nearly six nurses entered the room.  
She herded the family out of the room, then rushed back to Jason's side. This time she shut the door.

Damian poked an electronic listening 'bug' into the room under the door (only Damian would bring such a thing to a _hospital_) and turned up the little speaker outside.

"Clear!," was the only word they could make out amongst the buzz beyond the heavy oaken door.

Panic seeped into the hearts of all.

Jason _had _to make it out of this, and not only for his own sake. He couldn't die again.

Bruce felt useless. Just like the last time, Jason was dying and he couldn't do _one damn _thing.

Memories of him holding the motionless body of Jason flooded his mind, and he frowned hard, trying to shake them off. But they were very persistent, especially at a time like this, when his guard against them was down.

It seemed like forever that the nurses and doctor bustled about inside the room, and the family outside finally got tired of listening to Damian's bug and leaned against the walls next to the door.

But when the endless, long beep of the flatline changed to weaker, smaller bursts of sound, they knew that Jason had been stabilized. A collective sigh of relief escaped the waiting group, and Damian, not all that surprisingly after today, was the first to knock on the door.

Elizabeth cracked it, not wide enough for Damian to get his foot in. Annoyance creased the boy's forehead at that-not many people were intelligent enough to avoid the easiest way to get a door open.

"He'll be fine now. He just needs lots of rest, and no, I'm afraid you can't see him at the moment. In a few hours, maybe." The door closed again, and Elizabeth disappeared inside to look after Jason.

A passing nurse gave them a strange look, and they finally stood up and headed for the waiting room. It wasn't like they were using Damian's bug anymore; there really wasn't anything to be heard.

And so here they were. As they sat in the plain metal-frame-and-cushion chairs in the waiting room, rain could still be heard. It was almost as if Gotham was crying for Jason; weeping for his life, and mourning for his long-dead innocence.

One by one, the Bat's family left the room, either going to the nearby bathroom, or getting something to eat at a vending machine (Damian, that is).

Two hours later, when they'd all returned to the waiting room and were either dozing or worrying in the waiting room, Elizabeth gave them a smile in passing and finally spoke.

"You can see him now."

Her shift was probably over; and she looked like she deserved a rest. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was disheveled. Bruce stood and put a friendly, grateful hand on her shoulder before going out the door and down the hall to Jason's room.

Dick and Tim followed close behind, with Damian trailing a bit behind them all, a Snickers bar in one hand. Bruce opened the door slowly so they wouldn't wake him if he was sleeping. Excitement and hope-an unreasonable amount of hope-filled their hearts.

When the door was all the way open, there worst dreams came true.

Dread replaced the hope in their hearts, and a sudden adrenaline rush-not of the good kind-took the place of the excitement of a few seconds earlier. Their happiness was gone.

The window was open, the curtains around it already dark with the rain's moisture.  
The bed was empty, the covers tousled and tossed carelessly to its foot and dragging on the faux hardwood of the floor.  
Jason was gone.  
He had escaped, and through a second story window….

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**_Cliffhanger! lol, want to know what happens next? me too! we have so much in common :D_**

**_haha, ill up-date as soon as i can, in the mean time, tell me what you think of the story so far in the little review box below VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV VVV_**


	4. Consequences

_**hey! im soo sorry for the late up-date D: **_

_** im so exited about this story, its so far going in the right direction, thanks so much for all the reviews! **_

_**-gives cookie- :D **_

_**beta read by Birchtail! thanks so much :D **_

_**anyway, on with the story!~ **_

* * *

**_~Unknown Location~_**

The splashing sound of someone running down an abandoned alley in the middle of a storm rang in the no one heard it; the alley was abandoned after all.

Suddenly, the splashing stopped, and the figure in the rain reached for a slightly crumpled note under his soaked coat. His eyes gleamed a confused, almost frightened gray-green in the dim light reflecting off the puddles in the street; his black hair was dripping, tangled across his head as if he had just quickly took out a crumpled note that was in his pocket and scanned it over, checking carefully to making sure he had gone to the right place.

**_Todd –_**

**_If you want her back, come to the alley north of Gotham, and come alone._**

**_You know the place._**

The man glanced up as a dark figure stepped into the dull light of the failing street lamps, the light shining up off the water to give his face a frightening aspect.

Jason narrowed his eyes.I'm coming for you, squirt, don't worry, he promised.

**_~In the Batcave~_**

Dick, now fully arrayed in his Nightwing costume, was pacing back and forth on the concrete tiles of the cave. He was very worried.

They had searched high and low for Jason, but it was as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth. Of course, there were undoubtedly many places for him to hide they hadn't searched yet. He could be all the way out of the city for all they knew, though with his wounds... they were doubtful he could make it that far.

This wasn't the first time, though; Jason tended to disappear when he didn't want to be , in the far left corner of the dark room, was moody and brooding as he was apt to do.

Tim was standing near Bruce at the computer, helping him look for clues as to where Jason might were getting nowhere. There was practically nothing to lead them to Jason, and Bruce was beginning to doubt that he would survive in the city, alone. It brought back so many terrible memories...

"Dick. We will handle the search. Right now, your team needs you," Bruce announced.

Dick frowned. He knew his father was right, but he didn't want to leave. He wanted to help. No, he needed to had never been a good brother to Jason. When he first became robin, he had chosen to ignore him. And when he died, he felt so guilty; maybe if they had been closer, he would have been there to save him. But he hadn't been there. And that would never change.

And when he finally got the chance to be there for him, when he had his head screwed on straight and wasn't in the least superior, Jason disappeared again!

Dick shook his head; this wasn't the time for regret. Now he needed to ensure that he would be able to stay.

"I can help here! I-" Batman quickly cut him off.

"No. You know there is nothing you can do right now, so go back to your team, and we'll call you if anything comes up." Dick sighed in defeat. He knew batman was right; he was useless here. Worrying wouldn't do him any good, and the Batcave had always been conducive to depressing thoughts. More so, of course, when someone in the family was possibly dying.

He finally nodded in agreement; it wasn't as if he had a choice, after nodded and turned back to the computer.

Nightwing left the cave, and thoughts of Jason lingered in his head.

**_~Unknown Location~_**

"So you're willing to trade yourself for the life of the girl?" a voice spoke from the shadows of the room.

"Yes. I will trade places, but you have to promise me that she will not be harmed. You will let her go." Jason's voice was desperate, a little hoarse. He didn't really trust the man; but anything was worth a try now.

"It's a fair enough trade. Though if you weren't the Red Hood, your injuries would render it a poor one indeed," the dark figure reminded Jason.

"But if you pull any stunts, we will kill her." The voice was warning, low.

Jason nodded."It seems we have come to an agreement, then." "Guards!" shouted the man.

Four stocky men rushed into the room."Bring the girl," the man in the shadows ordered.

Two of the guards left the room, coming back in moments. They dragged a young girl into the room, and Jason tried to see her face, but couldn't through the pitch-black hair that fell over it in long, unkempt strands. The girl looked up, shaking the hair from her face with a toss of the head. She had forest green eyes, like Jason's but missing the blue tint. They widened as she saw who was in the room.

The two guards dropped the girl; she quickly got to her feet, running at Jason and tackling him into a hug. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. "Jason," she mumbled. "I knew you would come for me."

"I promised, didn't I?" he said to head snapped up in sudden memory. "W-wait. How are you-here?"  
The man hidden in the shadows cut her off.

"Dear brother Jason switched places with you."

"No," she mumbled, eyes suddenly wide with a different, worse sort of shock. "You can't take him!"

"Yes," said the man in the shadows. She could have sworn she heard an evil grin in his voice. "Take her, and drop her off somewhere. We have what we want."

The same two guards who brung her in seized her arms, slowly dragging her out of the room. The other two remaining guards grabbed Jason's shoulders, pushing him onto his knees, then pulled his hands behind his back, cuffing them together. "JASON!" the young girl screamed, struggling futilely against the guards.

Jason smiled a little in her direction. "It's okay." The guards quickly took the girl out of the room, and Jason hung his head in resignation. He had done the best he could in his current state; he would have a fairly clear conscience even if they didn't release the girl.

Perhaps he was mad.

Jason silently, bitterly laughed.

It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before.

The man hidden in the shadows chuckled, obviously enjoying the young man's nodded to the guards holding Jason down, and they nodded back.

The guard to the right took out a cloth and wet it with something in a small bottle he had on his belt, then took the now-soaked cloth and smashed it into Jason's immediately started fighting his restraints, but to no avail. As a strange, pungent odor tingled the inside of his nose, his struggles slowed down until they stopped eyes started closing, and black dots danced in his vision. The last thought he had was a strange one, something he didn't understand but couldn't stay awake long enough to argue with.

Those black spots... fireflies, with no fire.

With one last breath of the pungent chemical, he lost consciousness.

**_~Inner City Gotham, Approximately Two Miles From Jason~_**

The two guards dropped the girl in the middle of a dank, empty street, and they were gone as quickly as they'd brought her there. After a moment, the girl got up and looked around, taking in her surroundings, attempting to gauge where she was.

If I could just find some help, maybe I could save Jason in wiping the tears from her face, she started running. One thought was on an endless loop through her head as she jogged out of the inner city and toward the wealthy sector.

'

_Batman.'_

* * *

**_Review! :D_**


	5. Finding Help

_**Hola! whats up people?! surprised that i updated so fast? yes well there is a reason that i did. **_

_**today is my Birthday so i thought 'why not make it special and post a new chapter?' **_

_**guess what? i did xD **_

_**beta read by Birchtail C: thanks for always beta reading for me, ur awesome! :D **_

_** anyway i need to make one thing clear right now **_

_**IMPORTANT! READ: **_

_**if any of you wacthed young justice i need to clear this up so its not confusing. everything is the same with the team, in season two may things change, but im keeping it simple, the only thing changed is that robin became Nightwing, but Aqualad IS still leader. and none of those new people came. its only: **_

_**Megan **_

_**Nightwing **_

_**Aqualad **_

_**Superboy **_

_**Kid Flash **_

**_Artemis_**

_**THATS IT! Tim has also NOT joined them yet. **_

_**now that thats cleared up, EnJoy~!~! **_

* * *

_**~Justice Mountain~**_

Dick was pacing back and forth in the library, fully arrayed in his Nightwing uniform but looking very vulnerable at the moment. He'd gone back to his team, but he still was so worried he couldn't focus on anything but Jason.

Aqualad came up to him, worry evident in his face as well.

"What troubles you, my friend?" he asked.

Before Nightwing could answer, Batman's masked face appeared on the big screen at the end of the room.

The team quickly gathered around it to listen.

"Finally, a new mission, Bats?" Wally sounded impatient.

"Yes," Batman simply stated. "We are going to look for a man named Jason Todd. He disappeared last night around eleven PM."

"Why do _we _need to find him? Can't the police take care of things like this?" Artemis asked, a bit annoyed.

"He….is an old... friend." Batman said.

Dick managed a wobbly grin, happy that he could finally help find his brother.

"Have you found any leads yet?" he eagerly inquired.

"Yes, just north of Gotham. There have been reports of a man running around, and he has similarities to Ja – this man." Batman halted on the last words, trying not to give himself away. He doubted that the team would be of any help if they knew they were rescuing the Red Hood.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" Nightwing's voice was a little _too _relieved to keep his former worry fully concealed- the team gave him a few strange looks, but he was already heading to the bioship and didn't see them.

_**~Somewhere In Gotham~**_

The black-haired girl sprinted down the long, narrow alleys and crowded streets. She couldn't seem to make her legs go fast enough-she kept repeating Jason's name in her mind again and again, to drown out the growing pain in her side. She hadn't eaten for a while either, and her stomach was beginning to hurt from hunger.

The girl suddenly tripped over a can in an alley. She tumbled to her knees, falling facefirst onto the rain-sodden asphalt. She quickly got up, holding one knee, trying to make the pain of the jarring impact less. She wiped her face with an equally dirty hand and started running again.

_**~Unknown Location~**_

Jason opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, his thoughts not clear. He heard a few bumps in the background, but was still too groggy to recognize them. And there was a slight vibration in the ground on which his chair still rested.

He was cold. He registered that almost instantly.

Jason opened his eyes all the way and took note of his surroundings as his mind cleared. It was dark and small, perhaps the same place they had been earlier. He looked to the right and saw a man standing there, features blurred by both Jason's poor vision and the darkness.

Jason just barely managed to make out a smirk on his face before he took another cloth from a pocket and poured something on it.

Jason eyes widened as he remembered what it meant. He didn't want to be drugged again; there were too many things to do, and he didn't even know if his sister was safe...

And it was too late.

_Damn it, not again…_

For the second time, the odd-smelling cloth slammed into his face, and his vision faded.

_**~Somewhere In Gotham~**_

The girl was still running, her feet laced with cuts both tiny and large, gleaned from shards of broken beer bottles and who knows what else she had stepped on during her desperate race. She barely paid attention to them; she was coming closer to Batman and the feeling of victory was taking the pain's place.

She was still running, the rain and her wet hair both obscuring her vision, when she crashed into something, hard, making her fall to her knees again.

She looked up, brushed the hair out of her face and wiping the polluted rain out of her eyes.

"I-im sorry- I didn't mean t-" she cut herself off as she saw who she had run into.

There was a group of people standing around in the alley, but her mind zeroed in on the black-masked man in front.

"B-Batman!" she cried out, her voice so relieved and happy it could have brightened the entire dark alley, were it a better situation to start with.

She wrapped her arms around his leg, rocking slightly back and forth as she realized that she had reached her journey's end.

The other people gave her weird looks.

She looked up at Batman, tears in her eyes.

"I've been looking for you for the longest time! Y-you have to help me!" she cried, suddenly anguished instead of joyful.

A young green woman in a black and red suit flew- _flew -_up to her. The girl stared for a moment, admiration and wonder plain in her eyes. The young woman knelt next to the little girl as she landed. "Hello, sweetie! What can we help you with?" she kindly inquired.

The girl shook her head in answer, going back to the task at hand.

"You have to help me save him!" she yelled at the man in the batsuit.

"Save who?" asked a boy with flaming red hair and a yellow-and-red suit.

"Jason! Help me save him! T-they took him. An- an' h-he traded- he traded places w-with me... T-there go-gonna hurt h-him! P-Please!"

The girl broke down into sobbing.

"Please..." she managed, just before her eyes closed and she slumped forward. Megann's arms caught her before she hit the ground.

Batman looked over at Nightwing, grim-faced. "Looks like we've found our lead," he muttered, his voice low.

Whoever had Jason was going to pay if they so much as _touched_ him.

* * *

_**sooo..? what did you think? **_

_**Review! **_

_**also i wanna ask **_

_**witch Robin is your fave? **_

_**Jason **_

_**Dick **_

_**Tim **_

_**or Damian? **_

_**tell me your answer in a review along with what you think of my story/chapter C: please and thank you! **_

_**my Favorite robin is... Jason Todd, i seriously love him. he dunt get enough love ;[ **_


	6. Jaclyn

_**~Justice Mountain~**_

"Ok, let's start at the beginning. What's your name?" asked Nightwing.

"My name is Jaclyn," the girl from the street replied.

"Jaclyn. Very nice name. Now, Jaclyn, can you tell us how you know Jason?" Dick's brow furrowed beneath his mask as he tried to work it out in his own mind before the girl spoke nodded her head.

"Jason's my brother." The statement was simply, honestly put, but Jackie's voice had a little tremble in it.

"W-what? Jason is an only child," Nightwing frowned again, this time somewhat worried. There could be more to the story than even he'd suspected.

"I was surprised I had a brother too. But we have the same mom. Different father. But the same story; my 'dad' ran out on Mom before I was born. After awhile, she left me too. I lived in the streets for a while after that, then one day I was attacked by some men." Her thin shoulders shuddered a little as she recalled the blind fear she'd felt that day.

"Before they could do anything to me, Red H-" she cut herself off quickly, but forced herself to continue talking before anyone got suspicious. Nightwing sighed in relief at the quick save. Batman was relieved too, but the face under the cowl remained emotionless, as usual.

"Jason came, and saved me. He took me in, and after he asked me where my parents were, we found out we were related. He took me in, and I was happy." The little girl, now sitting on the floor in the briefing room, drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her ragged pants, staring vacantly over them to the wall at the other side of the cave.

"I was never so happy in my life," she murmured.

"So you know where Jason is now?" Nightwing asked, a bit reluctant to spoil the moment but already having to stifle his hung her head in shame, and tears prickled at her eyelids and stuck to her lashes before running down her cheeks.

"W-well, one week ago, I was getting ready to go to the store to get some warm food for Jason. He was sick that day, and I don't know what was wrong with him... he wouldn't show me his face, and he wrapped himself in a blanket as soon as he got through the door. I think he was trying to hide something on his clothes. Then he started coughing blood, and I didn't know what to do, so I decided to run to the store as fast as I could and see if I could get anything for him there. I know he couldn't afford to call an ambulance, and I think a doctor would cost as much."

Jaclyn sniffed."It was hard to get him into bed, but I eventually did. Then when I was on my way to the store, someone put a funny-smelling cloth over my face, and I don't remember anything after that."

"When I woke up, I was in a dark room. It was really scary. People came in and started asking me about some heroes' secret identities, and when I kept telling them I didn't know t-they started h-hitting me." Her hand involuntarily wandered to a rather large bruise on one skinny arm.

Anger darkened Dick's already-worried face. If there was one thing he hated, it was when defenseless children were hurt.

"After a while, they stopped asking me. They said I was no use to them anymore, a-and that there 'boss' really could get more information out of _someone else_. I was left alone. Then today Jason saved me. H-he traded h-himself for me!"

The girl broke down once more."It's all my fault! T-they will do h-horrible things to him!" Her shoulders shook, and more tears slid down her dirty, bruised face.

M'gann knelt next to the crying girl, her eyes narrowing in anger as she hugged her. She had had enough.

They all had.

_**~Unknown Location~**_

Jason flinched as a wound on his shoulder tingled and stung, the pain driving deep like a thousand sparks of fire. The slight movement reopened a few more along his ribs, and he winced, swearing through clenched teeth.

He had woken up a bit ago, but had managed to feign sleep until now.

The heavy door, too big for the frame, squeaked along the floor. It seemed his luck had run out. A guard came into the cold room.****

The guard neared Jason's still-motionless body. Jason grunted in pain as the guard's boot cracked a rib.****

The guard only laughed and kicked him again.**  
**"I knew you were awake," He grinned, a hideous expression that almost looked like the bared teeth of a bear in the darkness.****

He repeatedly kicked Jason in the side, thinking that he was defenseless.**  
**That was a mistake he would live to regret.****

In one fluid movement, Jason jumped up and pivoted on a heel, slamming the metal of his handcuffs right onto the pressure point in the guard's neck.**  
**After waiting a moment while the room stopped fading in front of his eyes, Jason quickly searched the man for any weapons he could use. He found none; the guard had been unarmed.****

He did find a communicator in the guard's pocket. He thanked the stars for his luck.

He rapidly entered Justice Mountain's coordinates into the keypad, hoping he wouldn't regret it later when the rest of the 'staff' found him. His head already was pounding harder than before, and his eyes kept threatening to shut on him.

At the middle of the third ring, someone picked it up.

"Hello?" answered a voice Jason had never been so happy to hear before. He answered fast, in a whisper, before anybody could come into the room and find out what he was up to.**  
****  
**"Dick?"

* * *

_**oook! here tiz, like it? :D clifhanger! C; im so evil xD **_

_** oki! so the question of this chapter is!: whats your fave ice cream flavor? ancwer the question in a review :) **_

_** mine would have to be CoOkIeS AnD CrEaM :D **_

_**untill next time! **_

_**NANANANANNANANANA **_

_**JASOOON TODD! XD **_


	7. Unpleasant Finding's

_**~Justice Mountain~**_

Jaclyn had fallen fast asleep on the couch in the kitchen only a few minutes after the conversation. All the running and stress had finally reached her brain and knocked her out cold.

Now the team and Batman stood around in the main room, discussing the various possibilities for Jason's location.

"OK, so -" Dick was cut off by the beep of an incoming call, coming from the holo-computer in front of him, indicating that someone was trying to contact the mountain. Nightwing sighed, but was quick to pick up. After all, any call could be a new lead on Jason's location.

It was a video call.

"Hello?"

"Dick?" answered a voice that was trying its hardest not to sound panicked. A voice he knew all too well. Dick's head snapped up at the familiar voice, and his heart did a quick backflip before dropping to his feet.

The team looked at the video feed, their annoyance at the interruption evaporating as they saw what was on the screen.

The holoscreen displayed a bloody face, the only identifying mark a white streak, half dyed red with the blood matting the person's otherwise dark hair. The light the person was using looked like that from a small flashlight, the type a guard or soldier might carry for emergencies.

"Jason! Where are you? Are you all right?"

Nightwing entirely disregarded the fact that Jason had used his real name in front of the team. Right now, he was meant to play the part of a brother, not a hero. All he could do was hope that would be enough.

"Forget about me." Jason paused, panting heavily as he eased himself to a sitting position against a concrete wall and pressed a hand to his side. He forced the next words out in a fierce, low whisper. "Listen. I don't have much time, but I need you to do something for me."

"What do you mea-" Jason cut off Dick's effort at getting an explanation.

"Listen!" he repeated, his voice almost angry.

"It's too late for me. But I need you to take care of someone for me. Just one person; the only one I've cared about for a damn long while."

"But what about you?" Dick cried.

Jason swore, low and heavy.

"_Forget _about me already! Listen, I have a sister. I need you to take care of her for me. She has no other family." The words came out in a rush.

"You mean Jaclyn? We already found her," Wally explained, stepping forward.

Jason's eyes widened slightly, surprised at the new voice and the welcome information. Evidently, the communication device he was using only recorded video, but didn't have a display.

He visibly relaxed.

"Take her to the Bat," he whispered, letting out a relieved sigh. His eyes wandered across the room, barely touching on the com's video recorder before they began to close.

"Jason, focus! Where are you? We can help!" Dick said the words fast, as he did when he was panicked.

Suddenly, Jason's eyes snapped back open. He looked to the left, releasing a string of curses.

He dropped the communicator and dropped to the floor with a shout of pain, biting his lip so hard the broken edge of one of his teeth drew blood.

The com had fallen to the corner of the wall, with the camera facing out. It gave the team a good view of the room and its contents, Jason included. In the middle of the concrete room, they spotted a fallen guard, dressed in black he layed limp on the ground. That would be how Jason got the communication device.

The team's eyes returned to the boy on the floor. His entire body crackled with blue light; he was being electrocuted. His hands clawed at a relatively-unnoticeable collar around his neck.

Finally, the electricity stopped. Jason gasped, and his head slumped back down to the floor.

The metal door in the west wall opened with a screech, admitting a tall, dark-haired woman with glittering mahogany eyes. As she neared Jason's body, he tensed in reflex.

She turned, bending down to examine one of the unconscious guard's injuries.

She stood and called out for two guards, who promptly came into the room and dragged the fallen guard out.

The woman turned back to Jason, a smile playing with the corners of her lips as she took stock of his pain-filled face. She reached forward to put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes mocking.

Jason took advantage of the situation as he tended to do and snapped for it like a wild cur, quick to sink his teeth to the bone.

She hissed and pulled back, snarling. Jason smirked.

After all, he didn't have anything to lose.

The dark-haired woman lifted her other hand and gave Jason a slap across the face. He reeled from the blow, but recovered quickly enough, the triumphant little grin returning to his face.

"You have been a bad, bad boy," she said. The smirk faded from Jason's face, and he closed his eyes.

She grinned.

"It's time for your punishment."

With that, the woman took a crowbar from inside her coat.

* * *

**_Dont kill me! -hides- im sorry! i know, cliffhanger again! but you don't understand, i had to do it! xD ahem, anyways, as always thanks sooo much for all the reviews! :D _**

**_ this was beta read by the lovely Birchtail :D thanks!~! _**

**_oki! so the question of this chapter is~!~: _**

**_ whats your fave weather? you know; rain, heat, breasy, ect.. _**

**_mine is, Rain! i love it to death. id love for it to rain everyday! :3 _**

**_answer the question in a review with your thought on the chapter :] _**

**_ta, ta! untill next time C:_**


	8. A Message From Jason!

_**Ok! lemmy make this clear now THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER! ! #$#&$*^$$% **_

** My friend found this __****on the internet on blogspot. The original author's name is Benari Poulten.** _******This was originally posted by him back in 2005, she read it, and just HAD to post it on fanfic. she don't think many people would see it on blogspot, so she wanted to help the guy out by posting this on fanfiction. **_

_****** i found it, and JUST HAD to share this. Repeat: I DIDNOT MAKE THIS!^&$##! **_

**_Disclaimer_**_******: i own NOTHING of this. NOTHING! **_

_****** oki! with that, go on and read it!~! **_

_******A Message From Jason~**_

* * *

Hi. Remember me? My name is Jason Todd. For a while - back in the crazy 1980s - I was one-half of the dynamic duo: Robin, the Boy Wonder. You knew me as the second Robin, or the least likeable Robin. Trained by the Dark Knight himself - Batman - I inherited the role when the original Robin - Dick Grayson - outgrew his sidekick status and hung up his cape for the more mature guise of Nightwing. Brash, headstrong, and impetuous, I could often be seen leaping into battle, fists swinging while Batman called after me to "wait" or to "be careful." More often than not, I was being held hostage by Two-Face or Scarface or Clayface or some deranged villain with a messed-up face and a grudge. Whatever.

I don't think you guys ever really gave me a chance. True, I was often portrayed as angry, mentally unbalanced, and reckless. But there was another side to me - a side that none of you would ever get to know because you bloodthirsty fanboys picked up the phone and brutally murdered me. Oh, sure, it was the crowbar beating I took from the Joker, added to the bomb explosion that killed me, but you all called it in. But I digress.

See. No one ever liked me. And even though I only wore the Robin outfit for a scant 4 years or so, I was apparently deemed "too unlikable to live." And so, you killed me.

And - oh, irony of ironies - THEN I became popular! Suddenly, you couldn't tell a Batman story without referencing "poor, dead Jason Todd." I became embedded in the Batman mythos: the Robin killed by the Joker, the Robin who died, the Robin who Batman couldn't save. Saint Robin the Second. In life, I was a hoodlum-turned-hero that nobody liked. In death, I became the most devastating loss to Batman since the murder of his parents. The image of Batman holding my broken, limp body became iconic.

I. Was. Immortal.

And now, I can't even have that. You want to rob me of my dignity once again. You can't just leave well enough alone. Noooooo. You need to dig up my rotting corpse and continue exploiting the fanboy culture's morbid curiosity with death and suffering by bringing me back as the Red Hood. Well, let me just say this: I'm flattered that so many people are excited about me and think enough of me to want to see my return. But, where was this show of support when you were all jamming up the phone lines requesting my death?! What, couldn't stand the fact that the hated Jason Todd was forever memorialized in the Batcave, my empty Robin outfit eerily hanging behind a glass display case, a painful reminder of Batman's failure? Did my constant presence in Batman's continuity gnaw at you? Did my importance to the mythos drive you insane? Is that why, ultimately, you have decided to wake me from eternal slumber and shove me back into Batman's living world?

Thank you. Thank you for this final insult, stripping me of my iconic stature and my rightful place in Batman's mythos. Being the dead Robin was the ONE thing I had going for me! Now I'm just another lunatic with a chip on my shoulder and a point to prove; a half-crazed ex-Robin, once thought dead but now running amock in Gotham, alive and kicking, and boosting sales for the Caped Crusader.

You guys hated me so much that you had me killed. And I'm sure this latest stunt will no doubt bring even more hatred and bitteness my way, so at least I've got that to look forward to. Thanks a lot. If youguys hate me so much, why can't you just leave me alone and let me rest in peace?

Lord only knows, if this dumb idea doesn't pan out, you'll probably just have me killed off. Again.

Screw you,

Jason Todd (Robin II)

* * *

_**oo, finally Jason got to say his true feelings(: **_

_** he really had a screwed up life, but i love him. people were seriously messed up to him T-T he deserved love, but the instead people voted to KILL HIM! :[ the vote was soo unfair to, some dude voted in over, and over again so they would definitely kill him. - seriously pissed bout that.**_

_** OKI! so, tell me what you think of this, dont worry, the new chapter will be up in a couple days. sorry i dont up-date fast Dx **_

_** in the mean time tho, tell me what you really think about this. **_

**_remember_**_** i DIDNOT MAKE THIS! i simply stumbled upon it, and thought Jason deserves to be heard. **_

_** Love you Jason xD Review Below! VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV**_


	9. Jokes On You

_**hola people! sorry for the super late up-date, i was so busy this week! thanks for all the wonderful reviews! **_

_** IMPORTANT! WARNING: **_

_**LISTEN! i wanna give you a warning now, this chapter is a bit dark! it has a torture scean, its not too graphic, but for those who don't like it, don't read it! **_

_** Other then that enjoy this chapter of 'Shadow Hood'**_

* * *

_** ~Unknown Location~**_

Jason's eyes widened a bit, before returning to normal.

"What? Now we have a _female _Joker clone?" he asked, voice incredulous and laden with sarcasm at the same time. He had to make a great effort not to let the fear now twisting his stomach show in his voice.

"Seriously, you're going to _punish_ me? With a crowbar?" He laughed, the sound unfamiliar and awkward even to his own ears.

"Lady, you don't make a very good Joker," Jason continued, trying to stay cool despite the terror that was beginning to numb his fingertips. Memories, flowing through his head. Joker. The crowbar. The bomb. And that last awful, horrible second of knowing that Batman wouldn't make it in time.

The woman bared her teeth in a sadistic grin, and lifted the crowbar to admire the metal.

"Well, I was hoping to bring back some... fun memories, to help you cooperate." Her voice was silky smooth, it sent an unpleasant shudder down Jason's spine.

"What do you want from me?" Jason asked, his eyes fixed on the crowbar, following the woman's every move as she held the dreaded swung the crowbar, bringing it up and down as she tested its weight.

"You see... You have knowledge that we need. Knowledge that would be far too hard to get anywhere else." The woman grinned again, smug this time. She had snagged her quarry, and he wouldn't disappoint.

"You will tell us all the secret identities that you know." she continued. Her voice carried a threat now, and a little of the sadistic humor of before had evaporated.

Jason's eyes widened again, this time surprised that she thought it would be that easy to get information out of him. He laughed, a short bark that echoed against the dusty walls of the little chamber.

"You really think they told me secret identities?" he laughed louder, then suddenly stopped, his eyebrows drawing down in a scowl.

"Now tell _me _something! Why did you kidnap my sister? Your reason had better be pretty damn good!" Jason half shouted, half snarled.

"You needed motivation," the woman answered. "All the people we sent out to get you failed at the task. So we got the next best person, someone who had known, for months, whenever you so much as went out the door. Then you pulled that crazy move."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jason shot back, voice a monotone.

"Oh, damn straight you do. You tried to blow up one of our mane bases and use the commotion to 'rescue' your sister. You knew of the consequences. You knew that you most likely wouldn't get out alive, and yet you still did it, for her sake." She laughed out hysterically, doubling over with the crowbar still tightly clutched in her hand by her side.

"Ah, the wonders of the world. Who would have guessed that the _Red Hood_ would care about somebody other than himself!"

Jason growled, low in his throat. He scrambled to his knees, trying to get to a good position to score a punch to the demonic lady's face, but his injuries slowed him down too much. She quickly dodged his pitiful attempt at attacking her, and the crowbar at her side suddenly joined the action, slamming into the small of Jason's back. He let out a shout of pain. The woman laughed.

"Aw, don't get all upset already; we have a lot of time!" She kicked him in the ribs, and there was a sickening crack as the toe of her shoe made contact with the bone. The crowbar didn't miss a beat; it cracked another rib in its turn.

Jason withered, falling to the floor again. He was too weak already, before the interrogation started.

"Now tell me, who is Robin? Or, better yet, who is Batman?" she asked, the hideous grin still plastered on her face. Jason spat at her.

She frowned. "Well, if you want to play it that way…"

She swung the crowbar over and over again, breaking multiple bones as the heavy piece of metal struck Jason. He had to bite his lip until it bled to keep from crying out, but he managed. A few grunts and a never-ending stream of curses escaped his guard, but nothing more.

"Who is Batman?" she repeated, this time more insistently.

Jason fought to restrain the swear-laden retort he instantly had at the ready.

The woman frowned again. There was a loud clatter as the crowbar hit the concrete floor, and Jason sighed in relief. But it was took a pocketknife from her pocket and flipped it open. That grin stretched her face once more, and Jason inhaled sharply, holding the breath as he watched the knife near his arm.

The woman rested the tip on his sleeve, then spoke. "Now, Jace. You have to work with me on this. I don't want to hurt you any more, but I won't have a choice if you don't give me another option."

Jason weakly swore, his mind screaming for mercy. Yet he couldn't tell her, couldn't even let her know he knew. They might hurt Jackie, and they would definitely use the information against his former team if they knew.

"Have it your way," she conceded, shrugging. He could only think of how _good _a Joker she made now as the grin widened on her face, just like that of the moved to Jason's side, grabbing his arm and holding it out as she gripped the knife in her right hand.

Jason yanked at the arm, his feet scraping the dust off the floor where they lay as he tried to scramble backwards. But to no avail; he was too tired out.

**_..._**

When she finally finished and let go of his arm, he turned his head to see what damage had been done. His eyes widened with anger as he saw the markings. There, _carved_ into his arm, were three words:**  
**_ Dead Yet Alive_

He looked up at her, passionate hate in his eyes. "Why the hell did you do this to me?" he shouted, new found energy entering his body as he tapped into adrenaline stores he didn't know he had.

"Well, that's what you are, right?" When she didn't get any response, she continued, feigning frustration with Jason's 'stupidity'. "You know, 'dead but alive'?"

"Now, who is Bat-" she started to ask, but Jason cut her off.

"Go die in a hole! I'm never telling you!" Rage consumed him. He couldn't feel the pain anymore; only the powerful anger, the hatred, the disgust for the creature who had hurt him and practically threatened to hurt the people he wished to protect.

The woman's grin disappeared, and she held out a hand with some kind of wafer-thin remote in it.

The electricity came once again, but this time it didn't stop. He couldn't feel anything, but he knew his body couldn't take it any more. Jason's vision started fading in and out as the darkness crept over him. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was the madwoman's glaring face. She was angry, because she hadn't gotten what she wanted.

_Good, _thought Jason, the last coherent thought he had before it all disintegrated.

"This isn't over yet." the crazy woman said.

With that, his world turned black.

* * *

**i told you it was dark! D: i hate'ed having to do this to Jason but i had no choice! D; **

** tell me what you think! **

** the question of this chapter isss!: **

**whats your favorite Movie? **

** mine is... uhhmm, well... idk xD i dont have '1' favorite **

**(: Anyway, REVIEWWW! **


	10. Helpless

**_ IM SO SORRY! i know, i know, im like 3 weeks late right? Dx sorry things have been crazy lately, school is killing me, lack of sleep is killing me even more, but that's no excuse right? after all i am here to entertain all of you right? _**

**_ but one of my better reasons for not being able to update is that... My mother just recently had a baby! aha, im an older sister... AGAIN! xD yea, so been busy with my cute lil chubby baby bro! aha, yea. _**

**_ okii, back to the story! _**

**_IMPORTANT! READ!; IM PUTTING A MINOR WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER, its not as bad as the last, but never-the-less, i still need'a put it for those who don't like dis kina stuff(: _**

**_the begining of this chapter is basicly showing the reactions of the people at JM. _****_other then that, thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome! now, go read!~!_**

* * *

**_ ~Justice Mountain~_**

The team watched in horror as the insane woman tortured Jason, trying to get secret identities out of him even though she must have known he wouldn't answer.

Though they all could see Jason, he couldn't see the team due to the lack of a two-way cam on the communicator on the floor. Many times, individuals in the room tried to call out to Jason, to re-assure him that they would be on their way as soon as they knew where he was, or to shout at the woman to stop, but it seemed that when Jason dropped the communicator when he was electrocuted, the speaker on it had been damaged.

Jason couldn't hear the team. Couldn't hear their enraged shouting at the woman; couldn't know they would come to get him; couldn't know they cared and would avenge his injuries as soon as they had a chance. Even though the team had no idea who Jason was, they all believed even the lowest civilian shouldn't be treated like that. And this 'Jason' seemed to matter a great deal to Batman, Robin, and Nightwing...

Just as the Batglare flashed to the screen again, after exchanging grim glances with Nightwing, the woman dropped the crowbar. Jason visibly relaxed, but the woman wasted no time. She pulled a pocketknife from the pocket of her lab coat.

Tim sucked in a quick, panicked breath, but couldn't close his eyes against the horrible scene; he was frozen in place. The woman grabbed Jason's arm, and, in spite of his weakened struggles, started carving something-words, maybe- with her knife.

Whatever she was 'writing' seemed to anger Jason as well as causing him pain. He started shouting at her, but the Bat couldn't quite hear the shouts; the communicator must be more damaged than they had thought to start out with.

The woman shouted another question at him, but her captive merely shouted back, rage catching fire in his eyes.

The woman frowned, rolled her eyes, and took a remote from her pocket.

Electricity crackled around the collar once more, but this time, it didn't stop before Jason lost consciousness. It just kept going until he couldn't take it anymore, and his eyes drifted closed.

The woman turned and faced the communicator, and the sole of her shoe filled the screen in the cave before it went static.

At this point, M'gann was crying, while Superboy awkwardly embraced her, rubbing circles on her back in an attempt to comfort her. Artemis had a trace of tears in her eyes, and was gritting her teeth, but nothing more. Wally and Kaldur were still somewhat shell-shocked, and Nightwing, Robin, and Batman were silently seething, eyes narrowed behind their masks.

Everyone turned to look at Batman and Nightwing, since they seemed to be the responsible ones in this instance. Artemis stepped forward and spoke, voice angry and grief-stricken at the same time. "You guys have some explaining to do. Who is 'Jason', really?"

Batman sighed inaudibly; it seemed that he had no choice but to tell the truth. He looked at Nightwing, who had clearly been worried for Jason. Dick nodded to Batman. "Your call, Bats," he muttered, swallowing a lump that had been growing in his throat.

So Batman told the team the story of the second bird; how he had found him as a low car parts thief, how he had been Robin for so many years, how he had been murdered and then resurrected as the Red Hood.

Why Batman had never thought he was ready for the team; why he had waited until it was too late for Jason to join the team at all.

**_ ~Unknown Location~_**

Jason jerked awake, pain coursing through him as consciousness returned. He groaned, then turned his head slowly to get an idea of where he was now. He was yet again in a dark room, but this one was different from the last; it was bigger, for one thing, and darker.

He tried to move, but found he couldn't due to something restraining him. Then Jason realized he was bound to a chair. His arms and legs were chained to the legs and back of the chair, ensuring that he would stay put.

But before he could test his restraints, the door burst open, and the woman came back in, to Jason's unpleasant surprise. If looks could kill, she would be a burning pile of ash.

She grinned that horrible grin of hers once again; Jason felt a shiver go down his spine. "Ah, you're finally awake," she said, sighing and glancing back toward the open door.

Jason said nothing. "Aww, don't be sad. I brought an old friend of yours; I'm sure you will be so _very _glad to see him. He's surely excited to see you."

With that, she moved aside from the doorway, inclining her head as a man came in behind her. Jason's eyes widened slightly with fear, but he somehow wasn't surprised.

Memories from their last meeting filled his head, and he screwed his eyes shut in an attempt to block them.

"Boy Blunder! Ah, its been so long."

* * *

**_Oh-Mii-Gosh! can anyone guess who is THAT!? aha, i bet you can...or maybe some of you cant..? sorry for the cliffhanger...again...as usual... ._**

**_ did you like the new chapter? i know its short, but as i said before things are crazy here at home, and i simply dont have the time at the moment(: _**

**_ i will up-date as soon as i can, i _****_promise! Scouts honor!...well...as long as you REVIEWWW! # #$%$ _**

_**NOW! The Question Of The Chapter Is; whats your favorite thing to do when your bored/your hobby? **_

**_ Mine would have to be; Skateboarding(: super fun! sept when you get hurt! i just recently healed from a bad skateboarding accident, but im all better now! also Snowboarding but i can only do that a couple times a year, cant always be some where it snows huh? but when i cant do that Drawing/Writing would be my top hobby/thing to do when im bored(:_**

**_ REVIEW your answer, and tell me what you think of the chapter! the more reviews, the more up-dates! _**

**_DON'T BE LAZY! D: _**


	11. Sorry!

Hey guys! Wait, wait! Don't kill me yet! Dx

Yeeah I know it's been awhile, but I have been busy! … Making a new story.. WAIT! I know, im sorry! Im a horrible person! Its just that the plot bunnies have bit me, and _wont let go! _

So here's the deal, the story is a batman story, but my mane character is of my own making, and because of that im not getting many views. It happens to everyone. SO, I want you to go read the story, (first chapter is up, its short, no worries) and give me your honest opinion, I need to know if I should continue it or not. And I really want to.

SO, to be fair, if I get one or two more reviews honestly telling me if its good or not, I will up-date this story. Im not bribing, I just want to know if I should continue or not, it donest need to be a long review, or even good one! Just tell me what you think. Please and thank you ^^ it would mean the world to me :D

The name of the story is;

**The Lie We Live, Under The Mask's We Wear**

I promise I will up-date this story soon!

Untill next time! NANANANANANAN, BATMAAAANNN!


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